Gifts? Not really

Gifts? Not really

I am already feeling suffocated by the weight of the New Year’s gifts being heaped upon me by various ministries responding to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s desire to "deliver happiness" to the Thai people.

Honestly, I admire their efforts to appease us, although many of the gifts to be offered are insignificant and demonstrate their lack of imagination or initiative. But happiness?

Let’s take a look at the various New Year’s gifts to be offered:

Transport Ministry: waiving of toll fees from Dec 26 to Jan 4 on the Bangkok-Chon Buri and Ban Pa-in-Bang Phli motorways and Bang Na-Bang Pakong-Bang Na expressway; free wi-fi on new city buses courtesy of the BMTA; an additional 10kg weight allowance for luggage on board THAI flights.

Industry Ministry: the staging of a gifts fair.

Commerce Ministry: a grand sale of consumer products at all shopping malls, department stores and even 7-Eleven convenience stores.

Ministry of Natural Resources: free entry to all national parks.

Ministry of Sports and Tourism: No service charge for the use of ATMs to electronically transfer money.

Department stores' regular end of season clearance sales don't really rate as a 'gift of happiness to the people', says Veera.

Finance Ministry: 5 percent income tax cut for SMEs which have net revenue less than three million baht a year, and tax free for SMEs that earn less than 300,000 baht a year. Nano finance of up to 120,000 baht for the poor, but with an interest rate of 36 percent.

Even a committee of the National Reform Council does not want to miss the happiness bandwagon. Its idea is to set up a non-profitable state retailing enterprise to sell cheap consumer goods to the public.

The above mentioned "gifts" are just a fraction of a lot more to be announced in the coming days before the New Year. We are yet to hear what the Education Ministry will offer as gift to students and parents. But don’t expect the minister to announce the end of the "tea money" problem in schools, because you will be disappointed.

What gift will the Energy Ministry have to offer? The minister said the other day that the price of LPG for transport should be increased to discourage motorists from fitting their cars with LPG tanks. What he did not, or was unwilling to mention is when the retail pump price will be substantially cut to reflect the real global market trend of crude oil prices, which have steadily dropped to the lowest in five years -- instead of a reduction of 40-50 satang per litre at a time.

Probably, he didn’t want to upset PTT, the local oil giant which has near-monopolistic control of the local oil industry. Or maybe he is krengjai with the PTT.

Grand sales of consumer products have been held at the yearend in every shopping mall for years. So, there is nothing special about that. The only thing different is that convenience stores like 7-Eleven will also take part, but it remains to be seen how much discount they will offer.

These New Year "gifts" are not really significant, and most of them do not qualify as gifts that will bring happiness - not for me at least. The only group of people who feel good about their gift from the government appear to be the two million government officials who will get a 4% salary rise backdated to Dec 1. Those who are classified as "experts" will get another 4% and the pay ceiling will be raised by 10%.

If the government really wants to make the people happy, then it should announce a substantial cut in retail oil prices.

It is indeed beyond comprehension that while crude oil prices have dropped about 50% since their peak five years ago, retail pump prices have been reduced modestly by 30-50 satang/litre once in a while. No wonder PTT’s profits keep ballooning. Now there's a gift that keeps the rich majority shareholders happy.

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Veera Prateepchaikul

Former Editor

Former Bangkok Post Editor, political commentator and a regular columnist at Post Publishing.

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